In this episode with spoken word poet, advocate and educator and Andrea Thompson, we talk about Oral Culture, Empowerment through poetry, Mental Health, Gatekeeping and Authenticity, and Powerful Black Artist Movements. It was hard to stop talking!

Andrea has been publishing and performing her work for over twenty-five years. In 2005 her spoken word album, One, was nominated for a Canadian Urban Music Award, in 2009 she was the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word’s Poet of Honour, and in 2019 her poetry album, Soulorations helped earn her the League of Canadian Poets’ Golden Beret Award. Thompson is co-author of the anthology, Other Tongues: Mixed-Race Women Speak Out, and author of the novel, Over Our Heads. Thompson currently teaches through Workman Arts, CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), and the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. She is a member of the Brick Books editorial collective and curator for Brick's multimedia hub, Brickyard. Thompson’s work is featured in the anthology, Best Canadian Poetry: 2020, and she is the recipient of the 2021 Pavlick Prize for Poetry. Her poetry collection, A Selected History of Soul Speak will be published through the Frontenac House series, Quartet in the fall of 2021.

Andrea Thompson is a force of beauty and light. I’m sure after you listen to this podcast, you’ll agree.